Shingles Vaccination

[Jim Barrett]

Went to the Doc for my annual physical on Friday...I turned 60 last August and he asked if I wanted a Shingles vaccination...recommended by the CDC for people over 60. My wife who is older than me by a few years had a mild case of shingles and it was not too good...my sister had it as well. Anyway I decided to get the vaccination and man...today my arm is swollen and hurts like heck! I know it is a live virus but geesh....the reaction I have is fairly typical....at least I am not gasping for air!

Jim

[Mike Henderson]

I had the shingles vaccine and didn't have any reaction - don't even remember my arm being sore. I just felt it was better than getting shingles.

Mike

[Gary Hodgin]

Doesn't sound good to me. I just turned 60 and plan to get the shot. My wife is a couple of years older than me also and, like your wife, had a "mild" case about a year ago. It took her about 2 months to get over it and it was extremely painful. Bad stuff.

I had the bad arm but I sure don't want the shingles.

[Jim Barrett]

I had the shingles vaccine and didn't have any reaction - don't even remember my arm being sore. I just felt it was better than getting shingles.

Mike

Mike,
Consider yourself lucky...50% of the people that get the vaccination suffer from similar reaction like I am experiencing...my wife, who had Shingles, got the vaccination after her experience and did not remember having any reaction as well...oh well...guess I am just unlucky!

Jim

[Todd Burch]

I probably won't be getting it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmPQtizSjvU

[John McClanahan]

I would research just how much the vaccine really helps. Some of those wonder drugs that advertise during the evening news are as much snake oil as medicine when you research them. Phrases like
"emerging science suggest" and disclaimers along the bottom of the screen that you can't read leave me skeptical.

John

[Mike Henderson]

I would research just how much the vaccine really helps. Some of those wonder drugs that advertise during the evening news are as much snake oil as medicine when you research them. Phrases like
"emerging science suggest" and disclaimers along the bottom of the screen that you can't read leave me skeptical.

John

There are several articles on Wikipedia about shingles and the vaccine. I read most of them before I got the shot. If I recall, it's not perfect but it's much better than getting shingles. [You'll find other sites with info about the vaccine if you Google for it.]

One interesting thing is that it was noticed that older adults who were exposed to children with chickenpox had a much lower incidence of shingles. The reason was that the chickenpox exposure served as a "booster" to the older adult's immune system (assuming the older adult had had chickenpox). However, now that children are being vaccinated against chickenpox - and therefore don't get it - the grandparents are not getting that booster to their immune system and are more susceptible to shingles.

Mike

[Jerome Stanek]

I read that the vaccine is 50% effective. You have a 50% chance of getting shingles without it and 50% with it.

[Joe Kieve]

I sure hope I'm in the "50% effective" because I had a light case of shingles last year and it sure was painful for about a week. Don't want to go through that again.

[Stephen Tashiro]

However, now that children are being vaccinated against chickenpox - and therefore don't get it - the grandparents are not getting that booster to their immune system and are more susceptible to shingles.

A tangential, but important question is whether adults who are not currently immune to polio are in danger of getting polio from children who get vaccinated with the live virus. Years ago, I read that this happened to some grandparents. Is this still a danger?

[Ken Platt]

We no longer vaccinate children in the US with the live virus, more or less for that reason.

Ken

[Myk Rian]

If you have had Chicken Pox, you might consider it. No Pox? No need.

[David Weaver]

I read that the vaccine is 50% effective. You have a 50% chance of getting shingles without it and 50% with it.

No, it halves your chance of getting shingles vs. no vaccine. If you had a 50% chance without the virus, you have a 25% chance with it.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis...s-shingles.pdf

[Larry Frank]

I got the Shingles vaccination as I know someone who had Shingles and would do anything to avoid it.

[Dick Latshaw]

I got the Shingles vaccination as I know someone who had Shingles and would do anything to avoid it.

Interesting. My wife and I were discussing the Shingles vaccination this evening, and, in our 70+ years (each), we can only recall one person that we know who had Shingles. Is it now more common? If so, why? Or is it more drug company advertising?